Signaling-horn for automobiles.



.T. PAYNE & J. E. KNAPP.

SIGNALING HORN FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED MARJG, 1910.

1, 1 1 9,533, Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

THE NORRIS PETERS (20.. FHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PATEN oE ioE.

JOSEPH- PAYNE AND JOHN EVERETT KNAPP, on, BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOBS, EY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To THE BANDALL-FAIOHNEY ooM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGNALING-HORN, Eon AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed March 16,

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that we, Josnrn PAYNE, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and JOHN EVERETT KNAPP, a citizen of the United States, both residing at Belmont,in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new .and useful Improvements in Signaling-Horns for Auto: mobiles, of which the following is a specification. 1 1 l Our invention relates to improvements in automobile horns, and its objects are to utilize more effectively the exhaust gases forblowing thehorn, to regulate the size of the vent, to positively control the duration of the blast, to permit the ,readyremoval and assembling of the'horn and its connections, and to simplify and render more effective the operation of the several parts. I I

Our invention consists in constructing a nozzle for the exhaust pipe of combustion engines having at the outlet thereof a Signaling driun or whistle, the periphery of which is arranged'to reduce the size of said nozzle, and thereby to increase the Strength of the blast, the vent of said signaling drum or whistlebeing disposed at the pointvwhere said blast is at its maximum strength.

. Our invention further consists in securing said signaling device to one arm of a lever mounted upon said nozzle,'the free arm of said lever being utilized to throw the said device into or out of engagement with said blast, said device being normally held out of engagement with said blast by a spring Secured to said free arm and said nozzle.

Our invention further consists in other arrangements and modifications illustrated in the drawing and more fully hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

Attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing inwhich similar numerals of designation refer to similar parts throughout the several views. 4 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved automobile horn, showing the same with the exhaust nozzle wide open. Fig. 2

is a similar view to Fig. 1, but showing the exhaust nozzle partially closed, the several parts being in the relative position required for blowing the horn. Fig. 3 is a cross Section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the Specification of Letters Patent.

BatentedDec.1,1914. 1910. Serial No. 549,645.

direction of thearrows,and showing a plan view of thesignaling drum, lever and spring. Referring to the drawing, the nozzle 4, u composed of iron or other suitable material,

is constructed with the enlargement 5 at one end thereof, which is threaded to engage with the exhaust pipe 6, of the engine of a motor car. Integral with, the said enlargementb is the plate 7, which is provided with the openings 8' for the purpose of permitting the same to be attached by means of screws or bolts to the frame of said car.

The other end .9 of said nozzle 4, is cutaway toform the circular opening 10, shaped to engage with the periphery of the. drum- 11, which is preferably in the form of a short cylinder, having at one portion of its periphery the slot or vent l2 leading to the interior 13 thereof. At the base of said nozzle near the mouth thereof is the lug 14, which is provided with the bearing 15, in

which is journaled the pivot 16, (see Fig.

3). Secured to said pivot is the lever 17, which is formed intwo parts 1'7 and 17*, connected at one end 18, Said parts spreading therefrom and respectively engaging with the opposite ends of the pivot 16. The

outer ends of parts 17 and 17 form arms carrying between them the axle 19, upon which is mounted said drum 11. In order to hold the arms the proper distance apart,

we preferably use between the bearing. 15 I and the parts 17* and 17 of said lever, collars 20 which are made of the desired thickness. 7 v

Near the circumference of one of the ends of the drum 11, wehave provided the series of openings 21, for the purpose of affording a means. of. engagement with the conical point of the screw 22 threaded to fit the opening 23 in the arm 17*, and secured in position by the nut 24, (see Fig. 3). By

such means of adjustment, we are enabled to place the opening 12 in the desired posi-' tion in relation to the mouth ofthe exhaust nozzle. To the said parts 17 and 17 of the lever and extending between the SameJOO wealsosecure, preferably below the pivot 16, the bar 25 to which is attached one end of the spring 26, the other end of Said Spring being fastened to the lug 27 integral with the nozzle 4, the purpose of saidspringbe- ,105 ing normally to hold the said drum out of engagement with the opening 10, (see Fig. 1). To operate the said horn, we provide the wire 28 which is secured to the opening 29 at the connection 18 of the two parts of the lever.

It will be observed that the opening 12 of the drum 11, is placed at the upper part thereof, in order. that when the blast of the exhaust is blown across, a considerable volume of tone is produced, and by varying the position of the said drum the desired pitch can be easily ascertained and maintained. W' hen the drum is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the exhaust pipe is clear from obstructions and no sound is produced. When the drum is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the mouth of the nozzle is greatly reduced in diameter, the effect of the curvature of surface of the cylinder together with the inner surface of the end of the nozzle being to produce a V shaped opening decreasing in size and increasing thereby the strength of the blast at the exact time and the preeise place desired.

To operate our invention, the drum being normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, we merely pull the connection or wire 28, and swing the drum into the position shown in Fig. 2, when the horn is caused to be blown. To remove or install the entire device it is necessary only to unfasten the plate 7 from the frame of the car, and then to unscrew the head 5 from the exhaust pipe 6.

Many of the devices now on the market are so constructed that if placed on the exhaust of a high power engine they will be operative and practical, while if the same device is placed on the exhaust of a machine of low horse power it will prove inoperative and vice versa. By the use of our device this objection is overcome by means of changing the position of the drum. WVe are able by regulating the position of the drum to so fix it with regard to the outlet of the exhaust as to make it operative on either a low horse power or a high horse power engine.

So far as we are aware there are no signaling devices now on the market which normally leave the exhaust pipe free and unobstructed to the passage of the gases, and which when blown constrict the size of the outlet to said pipe by a part of the wall of the horn blown by said exhaust gases, and we desire to cover our invention in the broadest manner, it being obvious that our device could be variously modified without departing from the spirit of our invention.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a signaling horn of the character described, the combination with an exhaust pipe, a lever pivotally supported by said pipe, a hollow drum adjustably connected to said lever and provided with a slot in its periphery at a point in line with the discharge of said exhaust, and means for shifting said lever.

2. In a signaling horn of the character described, the combination with an exhaust pipe, a lever pivotally supported by said pipe, a hollow drum adjustably connected to said lever and provided with a slot in its periphery at a point in line with the discharge of said exhaust, a spring acting on said lever to hold said drum away from the end of said pipe, and means for moving said lever in opposition to the tension of said spring.

8. In a signaling horn of the character described, the combination with an exhaust pipe, a lever pivotally supported by said pipe, a hollow drum supported by said lever and provided with a slot in its periphery at a point in line with the discharge of said exhaust, means for shifting said lever, and means for ad ustmg sald drum with respect to said lever to vary the pitch of the tone emitted by horn.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 12th day of March, 1910.

JOSEPH PAYNE. J. EVERETT KNAPP.

Witnesses:

ELMER L. BRIGGS, K. M. SULLIVAN.

Fopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

